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Here's a recording of my current state of affairs with this excellent and characterful piece. I've put a lot of work in but it's still quite a long way off 'performance ready' - but I'm here asking for a bit of feedback and hopefully some encouragement!

Not on the bits where there are errors or hesitations (there are many) - I am aware of those and addressing them - but thoughts on the general interpretation and technique would be humbly received and much appreciated!

Hope this is the right forum.

Cheers!

[video:youtube]aRdVCrzu-60[/video]

Hi, JackMusic! I can hear the amount of work you put into this; this piece is just loaded with little surprises, both rhythmically and harmonically. But overall, I find your attention to the details too earnest by half: I feel this music should flit about more, dart, give more an impression of spontaneity than you're presently providing - it is an elf that Debussy is trying to characterize, after all! But I definitely think you're correct in making sure we "hear" all the surprising details as the piece progresses. Quite by coincidence, I had recentlylistened to a YouTube performance of Arturo Benedetto Michelangeli playing this piece; and I thought he provided an interesting balance between control and spontaneity, while NOT taking it too fast -- if you haven't previously heard it, I recommend it to your attention.

Thanks for sharing this!

Thanks for the feedback! I have always had a more serious or perfunctory playing style, which is partly why I decided to learn some Debussy, to develop. My friend who is an excellent pianist gave me a lesson a while ago and said the same thing. Believe it or not I was trying really hard to be expressive here! But I will keep that elfin character at the forefront of my mind.

I have seen the Michelangeli video just yesterday - a wonderful performance!